Animal Care Supervisor

Non-exempt; full-time; 40 hours per week (Sunday-Saturday); varying schedule during Animal Control operating hours); full benefits.

This position oversees daily operations of the kennel area, including the care and treatment of all animals in custody or confinement at the Frederick County Animal Control Center. Effective customer service skills are required when assisting persons as they relinquish animals to Animal Control and when assisting with the animal adoption process. Effective supervisor skills and personnel management experience are required to manage staffing, developing scheduling to ensure proper coverage of shifts, and to ensure adherence to County and Division policies. Supervision is given to Animal Care Technicians and Kennel staff. Supervision is received from the Animal Control Director.

Essential Duties and Job Responsibilities:

• Oversee all aspects of kennel operations and animal care, including livestock and exotic animals
• Supervise, train, evaluate, and discipline Animal Care Technicians and Kennel Staff; train and oversee Community Service workers
• Assess inventory of consumable supplies for animal care and kennel environment; see that supply orders are completed as needed
• Understand the Animal Control Center budget and maintain good fiscal stewardship
• Participate in meetings and trainings as scheduled
• Understand the adoption process; provide care/handling information before animals are released for adoption or returned to owners
• Resolve issues between customers and Kennel Staff; assist customers who are bringing animals for drop-off at Animal Control, discuss alternatives available to them; explain Animal Control procedures that will be followed if they choose to leave their animals
• Transport animals to veterinary offices and events as needed
• As needed, perform all duties of Animal Care Technicians and Kennel Staff including (but not limited to):
  • Perform euthanasia procedures
  • Maintain and thoroughly clean cages, runs and other common areas at the Animal Control Center, including removing animal waste; mopping and scrubbing; sanitizing feeding equipment; and disinfecting areas where animals are kept, fed, watered and generally care for
  • Assist Animal Control Officers with incoming animals and equipment
  • Examine animals for general condition and report any illnesses, visible injuries or abnormal behavior of the animals
  • Administer inoculations, medication and first aid to animals as directed by the Veterinarian, including the use of controlled substances
  • Maintain controlled substance logs and records
  • Control aggressive animals with proper and humane restraint
  • Move animals to/from cages/runs and visiting areas as part of the pre-adoption process; provide customers with information about breed characteristics of animals being considered for adoption, and suitability for placement in the customer’s home
  • Oversee and coordinate all aspects of the Animal Rescue and Foster Care programs in conjunction with medical staff
  • Evaluate existing protocols; implement new procedures as needed
  • In the absence of the Volunteer Coordinator, perform duties of that position as directed
  • Perform other related duties as required

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Any single position may not be assigned all duties listed above, nor do the examples cover all duties that may be assigned.

Qualifications & Requirements:

The qualifications/requirements, knowledge/skills/abilities and physical demands or working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential function of this job.Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Associate’s degree in any field
• Minimum 2 years of work experience as a Kennel Technician or an equivalent position – an additional 2 years of work experience may reduce the education requirement
• Minimum 1 year of work experience supervising or directing the work of others
• Experience or training working with various dog and cat breeds and associated characteristics
• Possession of a valid automobile operator’s license

KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS / ABILITIES:

• Ability and willingness to obtain rabies pre-exposure vaccinations within six months of hire (at County expense)
• Ability to successfully complete euthanasia training within 6 months or hire (at County expense; includes a written examination)
• Ability and willingness to perform euthanasia procedures (the humane destruction of animals)
• Knowledge of (or the ability to learn) the tools, techniques and tranquilizing equipment used in the humane handling of animals, and ability to use them without endangering personal safety
• Accurate math skills in order to calculate proper dosage per animal weight
• Familiarity with animal species and breeds, with the ability to effectively identify them and discuss breed characteristics with customers who are considering animal adoption
• Familiarity with animal spay/neuter procedures
• Strong and effective spoken and written (English) communication skills, including the ability to accurately complete clerical and record-keeping duties, and the ability to answer questions clearly and give information as described above
• Ability to effectively schedule staff work hours and supervise staff work performance
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers and the general public
• Ability to learn Division procedures and protocols, evaluate existing protocols, ensure compliance, and develop and implements improvement as necessary

PREFERENCE MAY BE GIVEN FOR:

• Supervisory experience in an Animal Shelter or Animal Care facility
• Personnel management experience which includes overseeing work schedules, leave requests, performance evaluations and identifying / creating training programs for staff

Additional Information/Examination Process:

• Ability to provide own transportation to training and meetings as needed
• Available for rotating shift assignments within Animal Control Center operating hours (Sunday 7:00am-3:30pm; Monday, Tuesday, Friday 6:00am – 5:30pm; Wednesday, Thursday 6:00am—8:30pm; Saturday 6:00am-4:30pm)
• This position is subject to random drug testing
• This position is classified as Essential and is required to report to work in the event of inclement weather or other emergencies

EXAMINATION PROCESS (may include):

This description reflects management’s assignment of essential duties; it does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.